Remembering JFK

Willie Mays remembers ‘sadness and fear’ after JFK’s death

On Nov. 22, 1963 — 50 years ago this Friday — the assassination of President John F. Kennedy in Dallas stunned↲ the nation. In remembrance, LIFE Magazine published The Day Kennedy Died , which includes celebrities’ recollections of hearing the shocking news. The magazine shared Hall of Famer Willie Mays’ memory of the day with For The Win.

It was offseason↲ for baseball and I was going to play some golf. I was just leaving, walking through the door. I’d left the radio on and heard a voice cut into the broadcast. It caught my attention. I backed up to listen.

The news didn’t seem real. The man said President Kennedy had been shot. My heart filled with so much sadness and fear. How could they shoot↲ the President? I started to cry. I stood there and listened as hard as I could. Maybe I had heard it wrong.

But I’d heard it right.

I had been invited↲ to the inauguration, but couldn’t make it. I always thought that I would have another chance to meet President Kennedy. I never did. But I have met many members of his family and that has been a wonderful↲ thing in my life. They have gone forward and done great things with their lives.

Now, thinking back, there is still sadness and regret but even hope. I was sad for my country on that November day in 1963, but I see these young ones coming up↲ and I have hope.

JFK’s death impacted many aspects of American life, including the sporting world . Like Mays, most Americans who can remember the day will never forget it